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Rep. Pat Meehan (right) last month announced he would no longer seek reelection after acknowledging a misconduct settlement he reached with a former aide he called his "soul mate." | J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo

House to vote on overhaul of Congress’ sexual harassment policies

The House is set to take up two bipartisan measures this week to overhaul Congress’ system for deterring and policing workplace harassment, with easy approval votes expected on the floor.

Among the changes in one harassment bill — authored by the GOP chairman and top Democrat of the House Administration Committee, alongside senior members of both parties — is a provision requiring lawmakers to pay for any workplace misconduct settlements involving their personal liability. That shift is a response to a flurry of recent scandals involving lawmakers on both sides of the aisle using taxpayer funds to resolve harassment claims filed by their employees.

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Rep. Pat Meehan (R-Pa.) last month announced he would no longer seek reelection after acknowledging a misconduct settlement he reached with a former aide he called his "soul mate." Former Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) resigned in December after multiple reports of misconduct allegations against him began with the revelation of a publicly funded settlement he reached with a former aide.

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The House will consider some of its harassment policy changes as part of a resolution that immediately changes the chamber's rules, without having to wait for action from the Senate.

One provision in that measure would require all House offices to craft internal anti-harassment and anti-discrimination policies. Another would establish a new Office of Employee Advocacy in the chamber to work on behalf of those coming forward to allege workplace misconduct. The resolution also would prohibit lawmakers from using their office's budgets to settle misconduct claims, as both Meehan and Conyers did.

The harassment legislation was initially expected to first get voted on by the Administration panel, but a spokeswoman said Monday that "the availability of floor time" prompted a decision to move the bill directly to the full House for a vote. It's expected to pass with overwhelming bipartisan support.